'Lock them up in a room':  The Nithin Kamath prank that had Zerodha staff crying

Nithin Kamath on Sunday shared a video from more than a decade ago, showcasing a prank he orchestrated at the Zerodha office in Bengaluru. In the clip, he orchestrated an elaborate prank that would not soon be forgotten by his staff. The year was 2014, and Kamath decided to test the mettle of his employees with a staged police raid that seemed all too real.

"We carried out a fake police raid in our office to see how the team reacts to extreme stress and to have some fun, of course," the Zerodha co-founder and CEO said.

The prank unfolded as actors, convincingly dressed as police officers, stormed into the Zerodha headquarters brandishing a fake high court order. Their mission: to accuse the founders, Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, of forgery. As the fake officers began rounding up employees and disrupting the workflow, confusion and stress took hold. The office atmosphere turned tense, with many employees visibly shaken by the unexpected intrusion.

He recounted how the prank led to "half our office crying that day," as the employees grappled with the shock of the situation. The prank was captured on video, which began with a message from Kamath explaining the intention behind the mock raid—to observe how the team would handle extreme stress and, admittedly, to have some fun.

The video showcased technicians setting up hidden cameras before the actors made their entrance, creating a scene that would leave a lasting impression on everyone involved. Eventually, the Kamaths revealed the ruse, much to the relief and likely chagrin of their staff. One employee, reflecting on the experience, admitted that while it's humorous in hindsight, it was far from funny as it happened.

In the pursuit of evaluating employee reactions in stressful situations, the fake raid exceeded expectations. Hanan, the head of client operations, emerged as a main person, earning the moniker "angry man" as he engaged in heated discussions with the "police," seeking clarification. Another notable employee was Venu, the head of operations, who maintained composure, collaborated with the "authorities," and worked to reassure his colleagues.

The climax unfolded with heightened tension as all employees were gathered and confined to one room, awaiting the revelation. The "angry man" grew even more agitated until the orchestrator of the prank, the "absconding boss" Nithin Kamath, appeared with crackers to announce the ruse, bringing an end to the elaborate prank.

"I was too busy pissing my pants to realise what was happening," said one employee after the raid was later turned out to be fake. "I thought I had delayed payment in stamp duty and that's why all this was happening," said another employee.

Meanwhile, the video shared on LinkedIn piqued a lot of interest among netizens.

"That was good," said Cred founder and CEO Kunal Shah.

"Precisely why people hate coming to the office - all the drama created usually by the management," a user commented. Another one wrote, "I cracked up when the fake cop looked at the other and said you don't even get Vadapav for ₹20 in Mumbai. I love how peak Mumbai behaviour is displayed here. We decide how bad inflation is by the price of Vadapav" "This would give me licence to play an equally ‘funny’ prank on the perpetrators. Or maybe, not do cretinous things like these in the workplace. Immature is not the word…," a third user wrote. 

Also Read: 'Congress wanted to steal the leadership of INDIA alliance, proposed Kharge as PM': JDU's KC Tyagi on why Nitish Kumar joined NDA